GHaGB: Adventure Tales
by Ceata88
Summary: A set of side stories for my fic Gold Hearts and Glass Bones. What kinds of things were María and Joaquín up to in Mexico during those two years. Quite a bit actually. Ghost AU
1. 01: Knocking on Different Doors

**So this is something that goes along with my Ghost AU (i.e. Gold Hearts and Glass Bones) so make sure you read that along with it. This first bit is about them going to Mexico City and seeing Joaquín's mom. Hope you guys like it!**

* * *

"You sure this is a good idea?" María asked as the pair of them stood outside the giant pair of wooden doors.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Joaquín gave off a laugh and grinned at her. "She's my mom."

María had come to suspect that smile.

The pair had only been on the road for about a month now. They had stopped in a few smaller towns before finally arriving in Mexico city. It was incredible, crowded, and it seemed like there was something new to do every day. Joaquín insisted, however, that they first stop and see his mom.

María hadn't been sure, she still wasn't. It was true she didn't know the women all to well but that was because she'd often stay inside Joaquín's house those few times she visited San Angel. María at least knew that her eyes were sharp enough to make anyone go quiet and that whenever she left Joaquín wanted to play twice as much as usual. She thought to ask him why, but knew she'd just be met with a loud laugh and that typical smile.

And now, interacting with the woman herself, María had no idea what could happen.

"She just seems kind of... stuffy. Are you sure that she'd be okay with you dragging a girl my age around Mexico?"

Joaquín's knuckles paused over the door and he stared straight ahead. "Ah, well, maybe not? We can just pretend your father wanted you to come here."

María had the feeling that wasn't going to work.

The soldier finally pounded on the door.

She held her breath as they waited. Joaquín's hands retreated behind him and he started to rock back and forth on his heels.

The door opened to reveal an older man, a stern expression on his face.

"Yes sir? What can I do for you?"

"Hello señor. I came to see if my mother is open for visitors."

"Ah, pardon me young sir I didn't recognize you." The butler gave him a nod. "I shall go and see if she's willing to see you."

The door shut and María waited until she couldn't hear footsteps before she spoke.

"Not sure I like the sound of that."

"Well, she could be busy, or we could be unexpected. I mean a letter a month in advance only lets you plan so far."

"She's your mom, she should be excited to see you." María muttered recalling how excited her mom was when she came to visit. Her mother had moved a few towns away after divorcing her father. María only stayed in San Angel in order to stay close to her friends. While she sometimes regretted the decision, having to deal with those "lady lessons", in the end she knew she chose right.

"My mom's just a bit complicated." Joaquín said.

There were a lot of things she wanted to say to that but she didn't. She didn't really have the right to.

When the door opened again María was surprised to see someone different standing there.

This wasn't the first time María had seen Gertrude but something about this instance made her freeze. Even though she was older the woman still seemed to tower over her. Those sharp eyes glanced down at her before they darted over to her son. She swore the temperature around her dropped.

"Mamá? Why are you-"

"Wasn't expecting you." She cut him off even with her calm voice. "So I can't visit for long. But it's... nice to know you're in town." Her eyes drifted back over to María. "And this is... María?"

She opened her mouth but found she had to take a moment to find the right words. "It's nice to see you again... señora."

Her eyes seemed to narrow at the title but she blinked. "You're a long way from home at your age."

"Um, well you know." Was she starting to sweat? "Papá thought it might be good for me to travel a bit."

Gertrude raised an eyebrow and studied her. "To be frank, dear, with the state your dress is in I doubt your father sent you on this errand."

She flinched. Damn her clothes, she hadn't even thought about that.

"Don't fret I... understand your position." The woman pressed her lips together.

María had no idea what that meant but wasn't brave enough to ask.

"How long do you plan on staying here?"

"A couple of weeks? I've always wanted to see the city." Joaquín grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. "You wouldn't have any suggestions would you?"

Gertrude's eyes suddenly went wide, as if she was afraid. They were fixated on Joaquín's chest and she even took a step back. "Where did you..."

"Huh?" Joaquín's arm froze.

"I should have known." Her eyes narrowed. "You're just like him."

María felt a chill at the woman's expression.

"Wh-what do you mean?" His voice wavered.

"You're just like him." Her voice suddenly rose and she gripped the door. "An ambitious and foolish tool."

Joaquín opened his mouth but she slammed the door.

María's gaze darted between it and her best friend who just stood there with wide eyes. The longer she stared at him she noticed his shoulders were shaking as he shut his mouth.

"Joaquín?"

When she touched his arm he stumbled back and laughed.

"Geez, I guess it's been a long day for her huh?" He rubbed the back of his neck.

His grin had pain written all over it. His eyes were focused on the door and then the sky.

"Are you okay?" She stepped toward him.

He moved away. "Yeah, I'm fine, really. But it's getting late you know? We better find a place to stay." His grin softened to a smile but his eyes stayed fixed on the ground.

She knew that smile. There had always been something off about it but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

But now it was beyond clear.

"Joaquín-"

"Come on, I saw a decent inn just down the road." He already headed in that direction, grabbing Plata's reigns as he went.

"What? Joaquín hold on." She ran after him.

"Huh? What is it?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I told you I'm fine." There was that smile again. "I mean, really, I told you she's complicated. I'll just try again some other time."

María frowned. He was lying, and she damn well knew it by now. But how the hell did she get him to admit that?

For now all she could do was wait.

The pair checked in and she insisted on helping put Plata away for the night. She tried to call it a bonding exercise but most of the time she was staring at Joaquín and taking note of his face when he thought she wasn't looking. Her distraction cost her getting smacked in the chin with the horse's nose.

After a while her friend ran a hand over his horse's back. His eyes were unfocused, empty, and for the first time his smile fell.

But when he glanced up at her he grinned again.

Somehow that expression hurt even more.

Joaquín always got them separate rooms, even though it cost a bit more. He would just laugh that off too and mention the fact he had plenty of money to spare.

This time when they headed upstairs he gave her a hurried good night and fled into his room with his supplies. María didn't even have the chance to say anything.

So she let out a long sigh and went to her own room. She unloaded a few things and tried to focus on settling in for the night. The novel novel she had bought in the last town offered a bit of a distraction but it didn't last for long.

Her concern for Joaquín lingered but it was becoming smothered with anger. What was that woman's problem anyways? What had she even been talking about? Joaquín had barely said anything and she was suddenly spitting accusations and slamming the door in his face. It didn't make a lick of sense.

She wasn't taking it sitting down.

In seconds her boots were strapped back on and she rushed out the door.

It was getting dark out, and she wasn't unaware of a few leery men giving her looks, she just chose to ignore them. There were far more important things to worry about right now than starting a fight with some bystanders.

She pounded on the wooden door with all the force she could muster and stood there with her arms crossed. Once again the same stuffy looking butler answered the door and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes señorita?"

"Where is she? I want to talk to her."

"It's doubtful she wants to speak to anyone right now. I would-"

"Tell her to either come down here and talk or I'll break in there myself."

It crossed her mind that was possibly a foolish thing to say, but the butler just raised an eyebrow and gave her a daring look.

Then he stepped back and shut the door.

Certainly she shouldn't have admitted her plan but that didn't mean she was joking around. How hard could it be to climb through one of those windows? María studied the walls and looked for the best climbing point as she tapped the toe of her boot against the stone steps.

When she heard the door open again she turned with the intent to give whoever was standing there a piece of her mind.

Gertrude's cold and unyielding gaze made her mouth clamp shut. The temperature seemed to drop again, her anger along with it.

"What's so urgent that you feel the need to threaten my property?" Even with her monotone the anger in her voice was still clear.

"I-" Her heart wouldn't stop hammering in her chest all of a sudden "Why did you talk to him like that?" She pointed in the direction of the hotel.

"I fail to see how that's any of your business." Gertrude didn't even shift her gaze as she folded her arms together.

María pressed her lips together and growled. "He's my best friend, of course it's my business."

"Do you love him?"

The question made her pause and her arm fell back to her side. "I- like I just said he's my best friend-"

"Don't give me a half-hearted answer." The woman narrowed her eyes. "Half-hearted feelings will fail you."

"What are you even talking about?"

"If you do love him," Gertrude gripped the door. "I suggest you get rid of that cursed object as soon as you can."

The door was shutting. María's foot shot out and stopped it.

"What cursed object?"

"You don't know?" The woman raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know is the better question." Fear was creeping up on her again, for more than one reason, but she didn't dare move.

Gertrude studied her for a moment before she lowered her hand. "I don't owe you an explanation, but I will tell you this. My son is carrying something dangerous with him. I suggest you find it and toss it out as soon as you can. If not then stay away from him."

"Hey," María raised her voice. "If it's so dangerous to him then why don't you get rid of it?"

"Because I have dealt with it once already, never again."

"Then put a stop to it now."

The woman's eyes grew dark and she gripped the door again. "Never again. I'm giving you a warning. Trash it or stay away from it. If he's anything like his father he's already doomed himself."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Excuse me?"

"You just told me that half-hearted feelings would fail me. If this happened before are you sure it's not your fault?"

Gertrude's eyes widened. "Get out."

"No way, not until you explain-"

The sentence was cut off when the door slammed against her foot, hard. She stumbled back and growled in pain as the door shut completely.

"Hey." She shouted and kicked the door with her injured foot. "I'm not done."

Silence.

"Fine. I'll show you. I'll actually protect him unlike you. Some mom you are you frigid-"

"Um, excuse me Señorita?"

When a man tapped her shoulder she whirled around and glared at him.

"Do you mind keeping it down?"

"Back off." She jumped a bit to get eye level with him. "It's none of your business."

But when she glanced back at the still and quiet door she decided that yelling into the night air was useless.

María clutched her skirt as she stomped back down the road cursing all the while. What was with that cryptic woman? Why couldn't she just explain clearly?

At least one thing was for sure, she needed to talk to Joaquín, right now. She had no idea what this "cursed object" was but he probably did. How long had he had it? Why hadn't he told her about it?

Her friend was hiding too many things by this point. It needed to stop.

Her steps became much quieter as she walked down the hall of the inn. The second she was outside of Joaquín's door she raised a hand to pound on it.

But when a foreign sound reached her ears, she hesitated.

With her arm still in the air she leaned against the wood. There was a sniffle, a gasp, and then a whimpering sound.

He was crying.

Without thinking her foot slammed into the door and it flung open. Joaquín, who had been sitting on the bed, was on his feet in seconds. She could still see some the tears on his face, shining in the pale moonlight from the window. His uniform jacket had already been put away as well.

"M-María what?" He furiously wiped at his cheeks. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" She shut the door and ran over to him. "Am I okay? Are you okay?"

"I told you earlier I'm-"

"I heard you crying you idiot."

He flinched and stepped away from her. "It's nothing, really."

María didn't move her gaze. His eyes couldn't stay focused on hers and they drifted to the floor.

"I'm okay, you should go back to sleep."

"No." She stepped closer and took his hand. "You're not okay. Talk to me."

He shook his head. "You don't need to worry about it." When he tried to pull his hand away she tightened her grip.

"Well I am worried about it. Now come on," She tugged him toward the bed. "Sit down, talk to me."

He didn't budge. "María, it's okay." He took a deep breath and plastered on that false smile. "It'll be fine."

She stared at him for a moment. At this point she was certain that smile was nothing but artificial but there was something about it that bugged her endlessly.

_"Nah, you guys go have fun. I have a lot of training to do anyways."_

Suddenly it hit her.

How the hell had she not noticed before what a lie that smile was? How many years had she gone seeing it and just taking it at face value.

_"Oh sounds like you guys have something big planned."_

_"Dinner with his dad huh? Doesn't that sound terrifying."_

_"Well it's been a busy week anyway. I hadn't even noticed."_

_"Oh don't worry about me. I'm fine."_

"Um, María?"

When she came back into focus she still saw the same damn smile on his face.

"Is something-"

Without thinking she slapped him, hard.

"M-Marí-" He put his free hand over his cheek.

"Stop it." She shouted. "Stop smiling at me like that."

"What do you-"

"How long, huh?" She got up on her toes to get closer to his face. "How many times did you use that smile and pretend like everything was fine when it wasn't?"

"I-"

"How many times did you lie to us when we asked if you were okay?" Her throat tightened up and her voice fell.

"N-no. I wasn't lying it..." His lips started to curve up and he pressed them together instead. "You guys didn't need to worry about me, you know? I didn't want you to worry about me."

"And why not? We're your friends aren't we?"

"Well yes, but it's not like it's a big deal. I... I'm a hero after all." He straightened out his shoulders but she could see them shaking. "It's not like it's anything I can't handle."

Once again he tightened his lips to keep himself from smiling.

María ran over the times he had used that smile. Every phrase she could remember she lined up and went through them one after the other. It was clear by now Joaquín wasn't going to drop his wall that easily. She had to figure out why he smiled like that.

Her gaze darted around his face but finally fell on his eyes. "You were lonely, weren't you?"

Joaquín's eyes widened, his mouth opened slightly and his shoulders went slack.

"With Manolo and I always running off to be with each other you were-"

"N-no." He tried to step back but she still had a grip on his hand. "I mean it wasn't like-"

"Fine, we don't have to talk about that." She shook her head and gestured to the bed again. "So let's talk about your mom."

His lip quivered and he covered his face.

"Joaquín." She ran her finger over his knuckles. "Joaquín, look at me."

There was an agonizing silence. Her chest felt tighter and tighter with each passing second.

Finally he lowered his hand and met her gaze.

"Please don't be scared." She urged. "I know a hero has to be fearless and unstoppable but... you don't have to be that hero all the time."

He took a long breath. "You're right."

He let her pull him over to the bed and she let go of his hand as they both sat down. Her friend didn't actually say anything for a while. His face stayed buried in his hands as his arms rested on his knees. At least he wasn't crying again, or he didn't appear to be. María just sat next to him, hands folded and toes tapping together as she waited for him to say the first word.

"I just don't understand." Joaquín whispered.

"Don't understand what?"

"Wasn't... wasn't my father a great man? A hero? Why would being like him make my mother so..." His shoulders shook again and María rested her hand on it. "What if... everything I knew about him was wrong."

Her grip on his shoulder tightened. The way Gertrude had spoken earlier implied that whatever that cursed object was, it had done something awful to his dad. Joaquín probably had no idea.

But there was no way María was letting that happen to him.

"It doesn't matter." She said.

"Huh?" He looked up.

She lightly put her hands on his cheeks. "It doesn't matter. I mean, I get that knowing who your dad was is important but it doesn't matter what kind of man he was in the end. Are you a good person Joaquín?"

"I-" His gaze fell to the side.

She shook his face and made him look back up. "Are you a good person?"

"I- Yes. At least I want to be."

"Then that's what matters. If your mom can't see that then it's her problem not yours. We'll just have to prove her wrong."

He almost managed a smile but it fell apart. "I still don't understand why she... I mean... why did she just leave me in San Angel?"

María opened her mouth but had no answer.

"If she just thought I was a lost cause why did she come and visit? I don't..." His shaking got worse. "Even when she was there it felt like she wasn't."

_"Joaquín? Isn't your mom in town for the week?"_

_"Ah, you know," The same fake smile. "She's tired after the trip."_

María trailed her knuckles over his cheek and the tears returned. When he tried to cover his face she pulled him into a hug instead. One hand pressed against his shoulder and the other kept his face buried in her shoulder.

"You were lonely, weren't you?" She whispered.

His arms suddenly wrapped around her middle and almost squeezed the air out of her. "Yes."

María didn't say anything to that. She just held him there and let him cry. After all he hadn't done this in years, or if he had he did it behind closed doors. Joaquín deserved better than that. It didn't matter if he was supposed to be a hero he was still human.

But it seemed like someone needed to remind him of that.

"Don't smile at me like that ever again okay?" She whispered.

He sniffed and managed to stop the tears. "Huh?"

"That fake smile. Do it to anyone else if you want but don't smile at me like that again, okay? Please be honest if something is bothering you."

He was quiet for a moment. "Can it at least wait until no one else is around?"

"Deal."

The tension in his body melted away and he pressed his face closer to her neck. Her fingers ran through his hair a few times.

It was peaceful, warm, and she thought for a moment she could fall asleep like this.

But Gertrude's words started to ring around in her mind again. Half-hearted feelings would fail her, huh?

"Joaquín?"

"Hm?"

"I'm going to promise, from now on, I'll never leave you alone again."

"What?" He pulled away but kept his hands on her waist. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that no matter what happens I won't leave you alone. During this trip, when we return home, even if I do end up marrying Manolo or whatever else I won't leave you alone. I... I don't want you to ever feel that way again."

He looked like he was going to argue. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. A few time syllables managed to escape his lips but they fell short.

"You- you don't- you don't have to do that."

María squeezed his shoulders. "I'm doing it anyways."

His eyes searched hers for something but eventually a smile came across his face. But this one, it was different. It was real.

"Of course you are." Tears returned to his face but he laughed. He pulled her back into his arms and continued to laugh into her hair.

"Thank you," He finally whispered.

María's only response was holding him tighter. She still had questions about that supposed cursed object, of course, but it could wait.

She would prove that woman wrong.


	2. 02: The Masquerade Pinned to your Chest

**uwu Yeeey here's the second one shot for this series. In which María is determined to figure out what this cursed object is. It wound up being... oddly adorable... **

* * *

María had asked Joaquín if he wanted to leave Mexico City earlier than planned. Even if he was doing much better she couldn't imagine he'd be enjoying himself much.

But he argued, insisted on showing her all the sights. They'd just have to keep their distance from his mom's house.

She figured he kept their days so jam packed with events to distract himself but she didn't try to stop him. The city was lively and fun to explore, and she wanted him to enjoy himself just as much.

However in spite of all the events, shopping, and training she didn't lose focus on her current objective.

Just what was this cursed object?

María quietly cursed the woman for not being specific. The fastest way would be to ask Joaquín directly but he had only just started opening up to her. There was no sense in scaring him back under his rock. Not to mention he may not even know whatever object he had was cursed to begin with.

Hopefully if he did he wouldn't be using it.

After about four days she finally had an answer for what the item could do, at least. The pair were sparring on the outskirts of town. Plata stood nearby, the horse still barely friendly with her at all. María almost ended up on the street three times on the ride out here.

"What do I have to do?" María said. "Feed her treats every day?"

Joaquín smiled and ran his hands along the horse's neck. "Sorry about that, it just takes a bit of time with her." He pulled out their swords and tossed her one. "Worry about these right now."

"So you're finally going to teach me to use one huh?" The weapon was much heavier than the swords Manolo wielded. She almost hadn't expected it with how effortlessly Joaquín swung them around.

"You said you wanted to, and you've pretty much mastered tossing me onto the ground."

"Only because your approach is so blatant." María rolled her eyes. "I may still be an amateur but your hand to hand combat is very predictable. Size won't win you everything you know." She drew the sword and pointed it at him.

"I can't actually argue there." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess we both still have plenty to learn." He drew his own weapon, tossing it between his hands. "Are you sure you don't want to wait on this though? I can see you struggling to hold that."

María flinched and clutched the hilt tighter. "No faster way to build up muscle right?"

"Well if you'd wake up early enough to get in some work-outs that would probably help."

"Beat me enough times and maybe I will."

Joaquín burst out laughing. "So you're admitting you'll lose."

"Hey, I've barely used a sword before outside of when we were kids. Of course you're going to win."

"I feel like I should write this down. The day María Posada admits she can't beat me at something."

"Sure, go ahead, you can cry over it when I eventually get better than you."

Joaquín held the blade out. "You'll have to train for that."

"Then hurry up and attack."

He frowned at that and raised an eyebrow. It almost seemed like he was going to argue but a second later she got her wish. His sword swung towards her and she aimed to block.

When the metal clanged together the vibrations shot down to her hand and her wrist hurt to a point the weapon slipped out of her grip and hit the sand.

For a moment she just stared at it, feeling a warmth crawl up her neck. "Um, lucky shot?"

Joaquín shook his head and stuck his sword in the ground. "Practice swinging it and hitting a solid object before you try sparring. You haven't gotten used to the weight of them yet, it'll be hard to maintain your grip that way."

"Then why did you pull your sword out?"

"I was going to show you how to swing it first. Or would your rather flail it around?"

María huffed at him before she picked up her sword. "All right, come on." She headed toward an abandoned fence. "Show me."

Pretty much the entire day María swung the sword around. Her wrists ached and she was certain she was developing a blister on her hand. At one point she hit the wood far too hard and tore the skin open on her palm. Joaquín was by her side in seconds, bandage tape in hand.

It was odd. He hadn't carried any medical supplies with him when he first left San Angel. They had to get some in another town.

With both her hands wrapped she went back to work, making her arms sore as well. Joaquín asked multiple times if she wanted to take a break but she insisted that she was fine. The only time she rested was when he left and returned with some lunch.

"Okay." She kept her breathing steady as she spun around. Sweat was covering her forehead, neck and shoulders at this point. Her bangs clung to her skin. "Fight me again."

Joaquín paused his own swinging and stare at her. "What, now? María you're exhausted."

"I don't care. I at least want to try okay?" Even she could see how much the weapon was shaking in her tired arm. "Just to see if I can block?"

He sighed. "Fine, but that's all. Running yourself into the ground isn't going to help."

"Like you can talk. You never took breaks when you trained."

When his eyes darted to the side and stayed there she felt suspicion crawl up in the back of her mind.

Now that she thought about it she had never seen Joaquín worn down after training. When was the last time he developed a scar, or any kind of injury in general?

Her eyes narrowed and focused on him. This was something she had to test out now.

She dug her feet into the sand and readied herself.

When Joaquín lunged this time she swung her sword as well. Rather than taking the hit directly his blade slide along hers and hit the sand instead.

"Well done." He smiled.

"Again."

"Huh? María come on."

"Fine then, you block me."

"You need to rest."

María blinked and lifted her sword. "Ready or not."

"María no!"

Her only response was sending her weapon toward him. He easily raised his sword to block. The vibrations rattled all the way to her shoulders but that just made her more eager. She spun around on her heel, bringing the weapon in from the opposite direction.

"Hey," He blocked again. "Are you trying to take my head off?"

"Aren't you supposed to be well practiced?" She twisted the blade in her hands making his slant back. Her weapon retreated for a moment before she lunged in for a stab toward his shoulder.

Joaquín side stepped this time, bringing his sword down and forcing hers to hit the sand.

Without thinking her knee shot out and slammed into his hand. He dropped his weapon and she snapped hers back up, pointing it at his throat.

"Hah! Take that."

"You cheated." He mumbled.

"There's no such thing in real combat." She stuck out her tongue. "Just admit it."

Joaquín sighed. "Okay fine, you got the upper hand there. But from now on when we practice with swords we stick with swords. You're supposed to learn how to use them."

"Fine." She agreed and began to lower her blade.

Then a strange thought struck her. Not getting hurt, never getting tired, those were likely results of whatever magic object he had, right?

Was he wearing it right now?

"Now honestly, that's enough for today we should-"

María didn't stab his shoulder that hard, just enough that it should break skin. Instead she went through his uniform and practically hit stone.

"M-María- what- what are you doing?" Joaquín look terrified as he glanced between her and the sword.

"Do you even feel that?" She figured it was cruel to twist the sword but she did. The same solid feeling reached her palm.

"What are you doing?" He slapped her sword away and stumbled back. "I mean what the- what the hell?"

"That didn't hurt you." She lowered her sword and frowned. "Joaquín why didn't that hurt you?"

He straightened up in an instant. His eyes darted around and he kept stepping back.

Then something caught her eye, something green glowing on his chest.

"I- maybe I need to sharpen these swords." He laughed. "But... why did you do that in the first place?"

The heat around her suddenly became painfully obvious. "S-sorry." She searched her mind for her own excuse. "My hand kind of slipped and then... you sure you're not hurt?"

"No, but I'm going to have to patch this up." He pointed to the hole in his uniform.

"Well then, to make it up to you I'll use my horrifying lady skills to sew it."

"I thought sewing was the one thing you failed at."

"Fine then, you do it."

"Ah no, María I was kidding."

She hid her smile as she headed over to Plata.

"María!"

* * *

María's mind was screaming the entire time she opened the door to Joaquín's room and slipped inside. He had gone off to get a bath, trying to insist she do the same. Instead she just passed it off, saying she'd try in the morning instead. Besides maybe the warm water would wake her up easier.

That, and she honestly didn't mind being dirty for a little while.

But that hadn't been the reason she wanted to avoid it. No, she wanted to sneak in and see if she could find that glowing object while he was away. It was a horrible tactic, she knew, but if she could get her hands on it there's no way Joaquín could deny anything further.

The only problem was, where was his uniform?

She was positive he hadn't taken it down with him. He said he'd leave it until it could get repaired and she hadn't stopped staring at the muscles on his shoulders the entire conversation. Incredible how she hadn't noticed them much before this trip. Then again she hadn't gotten nearly as many chances to see him topless back home.

María shook her head. Focus.

She carefully picked through his clothes first but found nothing. It wasn't laying on the bed or even nestled under the covers.

As she tossed a pillow to the side she found something else that peaked her interest.

Was that a book? But Joaquín had often complained about reading. Never about listening to her read, of course, but reading on his own.

She picked it up, studying the black leather cover and the tattered edges. It seemed to have been through a lot of use. Was it even his or something that was left behind by someone else?

With a shrug she opened it up to a random page.

The date written at the top caught her eye first. Then her eyes scanned the words, impressed by the neat handwriting.

_Can't believe I'll be leaving San Angel in a couple of months._

Her mouth fell open.

_I'm old enough now to go on my own after all. I begged Posada to let me stick around until María's birthday but of course he wouldn't let me stay for Manny's. I'll never figure out what he has against the Sanchezes._

This was Joaquín's? It was his journal?

She flipped through the pages faster her eyes widening at the amount of words in here. How long had he kept this?

"Ay," A familiar voice came as the door opened. "That feels so much be-"

Her eyes met Joaquín's. The journal slipped from her hands and hit the bed. For the longest time the pair just stared at each other.

"What are you doing in here?" He straightened up and took the towel off his wet hair.

"I- um-"

"You've been acting strange today in general. Is there something- ah, oh no!"

She jumped back when Joaquín ran toward her. But rather than aim for her he snatched the book off the bed and clung to it.

"Ah, oh god, how much of this did you see?" His face had gone completely red.

"Just a few pages I- I'm sorry. I just ran across it while I was looking for your uniform."

"Why were you looking for that?"

"To uh- sew it, you know." She pushed her hair behind her ear.

Joaquín actually narrowed his eyes at her. "María what's going on?"

Guilt washed over her in an instant. There she was a few nights ago begging Joaquín to trust her and she might as well have smashed it to pieces.

She bit her lip. "I'm sorry, for snooping around." An apology was in order first. "I should have just told you directly."

"Told me what?"

María took a deep breath and sat on the bed. "After we got to the inn the first time I went back out to talk to your mom."

"What? Why?"

"To find out why she spoke to you that way." She shot him a glare but looked down at her fingers instead. "She was weird, and cryptic but... She told me you were carrying a cursed object, and that I should either get rid of it or leave you behind."

Joaquín's face went pale. The journal almost fell out of his hands but he caught it with fumbling hands. "I- cursed object? Wh- what would she possibly mean by that." He laughed and tapped his fingers against the book.

María frowned. "Joaquín she recognized it. Because... apparently your father used it too."

He did drop the journal this time.

"And when he did... it did something awful to him."

His mouth fell open and he stumbled back. "N-no that's... That's impossible. If he had it then he shouldn't have lost back then. There's no way he..."

When she saw how much his legs were shaking she shot off the bed. With her arms up she managed to catch him before he hit the floor. Her arms screamed with pain again from the weight but she didn't dare let go.

"What happened to my father." He mumbled.

"I wish I had answers." She tried to keep her voice even in spite of the strain. "But I don't, and it doesn't seem like your mom is inclined to talk about it either."

"Just who was that old man?"

"Huh?"

Joaquín regained his footing and straightened up. He stared at the corner of the room before he spoke up again. "I think I know what object you mean, although I... didn't think it was cursed at all."

María just watched him as he headed over to one of the night stands. She rubbed her upper arms to try and relieve some of the pain.

He opened the drawer and pulled out the green object from earlier. In the dim light it almost lit up the room with an eerie glow.

"What is that?"

"A medal," Joaquín shrugged and stepped back over to her. "When I was ten an old man asked me for some bread and gave me this in return. He told me it would give me immeasurable courage and keep me from getting hurt."

When he held it out to her she took it. Holding it filled her with strange energy. The pain in her arms started to ebb away.

"Well that explains a lot." She raised an eyebrow and studied it. "But really? Just accepting weird magic objects from strange old men?"

Joaquín rubbed the back of his neck. "I... wanted to prove to someone that I could be great like my dad. I figured it might help."

She regretted the comment and skipped to another subject. "You know, you don't read a lot so you might not know this, but I don't have any good theories about the old guy you met."

"What do you mean?"

"You gave him bread right? Joaquín usually in fairytales trading objects like that indicates some kind of pact being formed."

"Oh." He went bug-eyed again.

"I couldn't say why, or why he gave you this. As bait? Or insurance." She flipped the medal over in her hands but couldn't find much in terms of hints on it's origin.

"He told me to keep it hidden. That Chakal would want to steal it back."

"That also explains why you didn't tell me sooner." She shrugged and decided not to make him feel guilty about that. There were probably a ton of reasons he kept this thing hidden.

"Are... you mad at me?"

"Hm, tell you what. Learn to fight without it and let me borrow it from time to time and we'll call it even." She handed the medal back to him. "Because, seriously, I have a bad feeling about it after what your mom said. Overusing it is probably not a risk worth taking."

Joaquín took a deep breath. "You're right."

"Now," She stretched, her muscles feeling much better. "It's been a long day. How about I read a little something and we get some sleep?"

"Not until you take a bath." He frowned and even put a hand on his hip.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, you stink." He picked up his journal off the floor and went to put the objects away.

The second the medal was back in the drawer she darted over and kicked him in the back of the knee. Not hard, but enough to make the soldier yelp in pain and whirl around.

"I do not." She snapped.

"Yes you do." He pushed her shoulder. "And don't kick, that's rude."

"I'll kick you again if you don't take it back."

"Oh really?"

She lifted her foot, but just then another idea struck her.

His face went pale as the smile crawled over her face. "What's with that look?"

"I just realized why you suddenly stopped being ticklish."

"Wha- no María don't you dare-"

She darted closer before he could retreat. He tried to grab her hands but couldn't stop her from poking at his stomach. He squeaked and squealed with each one and was doing his damnedest not to burst into laughter.

"Marí- no- ah!" In his struggle he lost his footing and fell onto the bed.

She laughed and followed him, pinning his shoulders down. "I win, now take it back."

Joaquín took a moment to catch his breath and stared at her. Then a small smile came across his face before he made a dramatic gasp for air. "Oh no, fumes so toxic, vision going blurry."

"Hey!"

"I've never smelled something so foul in my life. It's... it's killing me..."

"It is not that bad."

"Ah, María... tell Manolo... that his hair is stupid."

She couldn't stop herself from busting out laughing at that. "Only as stupid as your mustache." One of her hands moved to trail along it.

His cheeks turned pink but he grinned at her. "Admit it, I just wouldn't be me without it."

"Of course not." Her hand moved over to his cheek and rested there.

His smile did fall then and his eyes widened, as if he just witnessed something amazing. The color in his cheeks spread up to his ears.

As she tilted her head at his expression he seemed to snap out of his trance.

"But seriously, you should get cleaned up."

"Can't it wait until morning?"

"Will you actually wake up early enough?"

"Soldier's honor." She took her hand off his face and put it over her chest.

"You're not a soldier."

"A uniform has nothing to do with it. Speaking of which where did you put that thing anyways?"

Joaquín raised an eyebrow as he managed to sit up. "I put it in your room, remember?"

No, she most certainly did not. Glancing at his shoulders again she knew why.

"Whoops, must not have noticed."

The soldier just shook his head and smiled.


	3. 03: Beat 'em Up Bandits

**Gggg sorry this took a while creative blocks are springing up everywhere lately. Hopefully chapter four won't take long though (hyped for that one). I know some of you get concerned with updates and you're welcome to shoot me a message on tumblr about it (ceata88) but please don't pester me. Anon is on so you don't need an account to send an ask. **

**Anyways hope you're in the mood for some action. Chapter title says it all. **

* * *

It took Joaquín exactly two minutes into their first fight against bandits to realize María's reckless personality hadn't changed. He trained her to fight well enough, but she was still learning. He figured she'd be smart enough to judge how much fighting she should do.

Instead, the second the bandits bust into the town she dived headstrong into the crowd.

Joaquín couldn't even react fast enough. The first half of the battle consisted of him trying to reach her to keep her safe. The second half he managed to force them to retreat, only to turn and see the state she was in.

"That was incredible." She laughed afterwards.

"Are you kidding me?" He did his best to keep his temper low as he carried her down the street. "Look at yourself María."

She wound up with a black eye, a bloody nose, plenty of bruises on her arms, possibly more elsewhere, and a massive cut to her shoulder. Joaquín wrapped that one and gave her the medal to prevent anymore bleeding but she needed a doctor.

"It's not that bad."

"You need stitches, and I'm not letting you hold the medal for that."

"Why not?"

"Because you can't just jump into a fight without thinking." When he snapped he gritted his teeth and glanced to the side.

"Oh come on, you-"

"Have a magic medal that makes me invincible." His eyes darted back to her. "But that still doesn't mean I'm going to charge into a fight without planning. Sometimes other people might be at risk."

Her expression softened and she lowered her head. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry."

Joaquín sighed and adjusted his grip. "So am I. Just... if you want to do that from now on at least ask for the medal first."

She did scream when she got the stitches, but Joaquín just stood in the corner snickering.

And thankfully that was the only lesson she needed, in terms of charging into battle anyways. Her reckless behavior didn't tone down at all. Many times she went for crazy tactics to win. She damaged property, ripping up fences and storage boxes to throw at them. Then she'd lose her sword in a fight but that didn't slow her down at all. Instead she grabbed anything as a weapon, including fruit on a couple of occasions.

At least it was effective. No matter her tactics she always managed to get the upper hand in a fight.

She used the medal more often than Joaquín did. A few times he gave it to her in the middle of a fight because he knew she'd get herself into trouble. He wound up with a few scars from it all but nothing serious.

After a few months on the road they began to chase a group of bandits south. The desert they were used to slowly faded away as more and more plant life came up. Sometimes they got side tracked exploring it all.

Eventually they traced the bandits deeper into the woods, possibly toward a base camp. However they couldn't possibly strike when it got dark so they busied themselves setting up a camp. Building shelters had been a trial and error process but it needed to be done. One night they learned the hard way that rain was much more frequent in the south.

"María keep that fire small." Joaquín hissed as he finished tying up the rest of the branches. "Do you want the bandits to jump us in our sleep?"

"It's not like there's any smoke. Will you quit worrying about everything?"

"I only do because you don't."

"I'm not stupid."

"I know you're not." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "But you're not exactly careful."

"Admit it, it keeps things interesting." She stuck out her tongue at him.

"Can't deny that." He put away his cape and bandoliers before sitting down next to her.

"You know I love camping out." She poked the fire. "Even without the bed it's... relaxing."

"Says the girl screaming for two minutes straight when she found a harmless glossy snake in her sleeping bag."

"It surprised me okay? Besides it could have been something dangerous." María tilted her head back. "But being out here it's like, who's going to tell us what to do."

"If only running from responsibility was that easy."

Joaquín jumped when María suddenly leaned against him, but he didn't make her move.

"I'm going to hate going back home." She muttered.

Joaquín stared at the fire. "Can't say the same. To be honest I'm not sure what home even is."

"Home is... being surrounded by people who love you."

"I know."

He didn't look at her. He didn't want to know what kind of expression she had on her face. But she said nothing in response. She simply slid her hand over his and laced their fingers together.

Sometimes he wondered if this is what home felt like.

The next day the pair navigated the woods on foot, Plata following along behind. There were too many low hanging branches to ride comfortably on her back.

"I really hope we don't just wander into their camp." María whispered and watched her steps. There was no telling how close they were.

"We could still win." Joaquín muttered.

"Easy to say, but neither of us are used to fighting in this environment."

"Are you kidding? Look at all the free weapons for you to use."

She slapped his arm but said nothing in response to that.

As the woods grew thicker Joaquín took the lead. He used his sword to clear away the dense foliage. More and more of it appeared and eventually he paused to look around.

"Something wrong?" María asked.

"Yeah, you sure we're going the right way? It seems odd that they'd use a path that's full of plants."

"Stop looking straight ahead and look at your feet. Most of them were crowded here on purpose."

He stared down to notice she was right, but it still felt odd. It was a lot of trouble to go through. Perhaps this camp hid more than they initially thought.

He kicked some of the branches aside as he took another step.

Suddenly the ground was gone. His vision swam as everything became a blur for a moment. He blinked to refocus only to see everything upside down. Something taught clung to his ankle leaving him hanging from one of the trees.

"Are you okay?" María stared up at him.

"I think so?" His gaze darted around to notice he dropped his sword. "Shit, this isn't good."

"Just hang on I'll get you-"

The rustle of leaves and the snap of a branch were their only warning before bandits flooded from the woods. With a quick glance Joaquín guessed there were at least twenty of them, all of whom headed for María.

She snapped her sword out but rather than swing it first she grabbed a broken branch and hurled it at the closest bandit. The wood smacked him right in the nose and sent him stumbling back.

"Shit," Joaquín cursed and tried to jerk his leg free. If he lost his boot so be it. He couldn't leave María down there by herself. She didn't have the medal.

But his leg wouldn't budge. He reached around his body for something sharp only to realize his other sword had slipped out of it's sheath. Why did he put the damned things on his back?

In the middle of his struggle he glanced back at María and Plata. The bandits had them surrounded by now. María dodged their blows with ease, for the time being. She spent most of her time disarming them, even grabbing some of their own weapons to hit them back with. Whoever decided to bring that mace and chain was regretting it now.

His concern for Plata seemed unwarranted as well. The horse immediately sprung into action. She kicked back sending two men flying and head-butted another bandit that got too close. Then she bit another, twisting her head and sending him flying.

Joaquín began to smile out of pride but snapped his attention back to freeing himself. He twisted himself again to feel the outline of something in his boot. That's right, his hidden knife. He took a deep breath before he curled himself up to try and reach the weapon. A tight grip on the rope kept him steady as he tugged the weapon free. As soon as it was out he snapped it up and cut the rope.

He didn't really consider the fall until his back slammed into the dozens of sharp branches. Thankfully the medal kept him from any injury as he rolled out and searched for his sword. It was only a few feet away, but the bandits must have heard him land. Half of them spun around and dove for him.

One aimed for his arm with a knife. Joaquín rolled to the side before jamming his own blade into the bandit's leg. The man collapsed and Joaquín wasted no time grabbing his sword and jumping to his feet.

Just in time, he used the blade to block an armored hand. He kicked that bandit in the stomach and spun to punch another. A short one took the chance to jump on his back. It threw Joaquín off balance but he snapped his arm back. His elbow collided with the man's jaw and sent him to the ground.

María's shout of irritation brought his attention back to her. He shot in her direction, simply shoving over the bandit in his way. He could hear a few others chasing after him but he didn't care. The second he reached the bunch surrounding María he leapt into the air.

"Joaquín!" He shouted as his boot slammed into a bandit's back, sending him to the ground. He punched another bandit next to him before grabbing his bandolier. His intention had been to throw the man but when the leather came loose he slapped it into another bandit's face. The weight of the bullets cracked into his skull and sent him to the ground.

The men who were still standing surrounded him from behind. He started to turn only to have María grab his free hand. He glanced back at her.

"Swing me around."

"What?"

"Just do it, now."

Joaquín knew he should argue but suddenly he spun around on his heel, jerking on her arm with all his might. She flew through the air with her foot out. The bandits couldn't even blink before her heel slammed into their faces. All five of them went down.

Joaquín laughed and when he stopped she did her best to land. Her footing still slipped and she fell back against the soldier.

The clanking of metal hand him turned around, his back pressed against hers. Plenty of the bandits had gotten back up and surrounded them again.

"Just back me up." She said.

"María," he warned through gritted teeth.

"Hey, I trust you to have my back okay? Just keep them off me and I can take care of the rest."

Thinking about it he knew she was right. Since he had the medal it'd be easiest for him to play defensive and make sure she didn't get hurt.

"Fine."

"Great, duck!"

He didn't think twice before he crouched onto the ground. When he glanced up a bandit sailed overhead and landed face first on the ground. Joaquín grabbed his leg and slammed him into another man before resuming his stance.

María was gone now, however. She flung herself right into the line of men with her sword out in front. She swung the weapon with such ease. Her improvement blew his mind every time.

In fact he got so entranced watching her movements a bandit knocked him to the ground. It only took one elbow to the face to shut him up however. Joaquín even snatched his pistol before he stood. He fired the gun, but didn't aim for their bodies. The few bullets it carried hit the dirt around their feet, making them dance away from the hits. When the pistol was empty he spun around and hurled it at the closest bandit. The man had been aiming to stab María but got knocked on his ass instead.

"Nice," she spun on her heel, keeping her blade out as she kicked him.

A man behind her had to duck in order to dodge the sword. He reached for his pistol but Joaquín was on top of him in and instant, sword pressed to his throat.

"You guys sure you want to keep this up?" The soldier smiled and tilted his head back.

He didn't expect the bandits to actually listen to him.

"Retreat." One of them shouted. All the conscious bandits scrambled back into the safety of the trees.

"Hey wait," María spun around and gave chase. "We're not through with you."

Joaquín opened his mouth to call after her but whistled to his horse instead. He followed her into the crowd of branches, snatching up his other sword along the way. As the trees grew thicker it became harder to keep a visual of her. Thankfully the white top of her dress stuck out in the shade.

She didn't stop running until the pair burst into a clearing. The area was scattered with crates, makeshift tents, and weapons. All the bandits were grabbing items but made another break for it when they spotted the pair.

One of the bandits threw something toward them as he fled. Only when it hit the ground did Joaquín notice it was a bomb.

He panicked but María practically jumped on top of it. She snatched the object and hurled it into the air above them.

Before he could ask questions the bomb exploded. Branches and shards rained down. Joaquín dropped his swords and jerked María into his arms, shielding her from the debris.

When the noise settled he glanced around to see all the bandits had fled the area. Smoke still hung in the air.

María coughed.

"Are you okay?" He stepped away from her.

"Yeah I'm fine." She smiled at him.

"Good," he smiled before grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "Then what the hell were you thinking?"

"What else was I supposed to do, let all this stuff go up in flames?"

"You don't have the medal, damn it. How many times do I have to tell you to be careful?"

"I'm fine," she flipped her hair back and sauntered over to the supplies. "I don't need you to babysit me."

Joaquín opened his mouth to argue but all that came out was a high pitched growl. He just threw his hands in the air and stepped in a few circles to calm himself down. When he stopped in front of Plata the horse just seemed to shake her head.

"You know weapons aside there's plenty of valuables here. We could take them to the nearby town." María said.

The soldier turned back around and looked at the amount of supplies. "Okay, but how? Plata can only carry so much stuff you know. And I don't think a wagon will get far with all these plants."

"Oh I'm sure we'll figure something out." She nudged a box with her foot before stepping toward him.

"Figure it out later, we need to make sure the area is clear."

"Please, did you see them heading for the hills? They're probably long gone by now."

"María."

"Will you stop worrying so-"

_Bang!_

The bullet tore through María's shoulder before he could blink. Blood sprayed into the air and her mouth opened in a silent scream.

She hit the ground and Joaquín followed her down, shouting her name. She was still conscious, but couldn't speak through her gritted teeth. Her hand tried to cover the wound but it was already turning red.

The click of the pistol drew Joaquín's attention back to the bushes. The bandit aimed to fire again.

Joaquín shot forward without thinking. His fear melted into rage that erupted from his throat in a thundering shout.

The bandit must not have expected it because he fumbled with his pistol, missing his chance to shoot. Joaquín tackled him to the ground and punched him square in the nose. Not a moment after his other fist connected with his cheek. The spray of blood from the man's nose seemed to make everything go red.

The soldier wasn't aware of how many times he struck the bandit. He was only half conscious of the sensation of bones cracking against his knuckles.

_I'll kill you._ His mind screamed, blocking out any other sounds. _I swear I'll-_

"Joaquín!"

A pair of arms wrapped around his keeping him from swinging. Everything snapped back into focus. From the blood on his knuckles to the blood on the unconscious bandit below him.

He blinked and tried to refocus himself but his attention was drawn to the person shaking against his shoulder. He glanced over to see María clinging to his arm, nails digging into his uniform.

"Stop," the whimper in her voice launched his mind back into action. She was still bleeding.

Not thinking about anything else he spun around and lifted her up. He carried her back to the supplies and gently set her down, leaning against some crates. He tore off his sash and pressed it onto the wound before whistling to his horse.

"At least the bullet went through," He muttered as he wrapped the cloth around her shoulder. "Keep pressure on that."

She looked like she wanted to protest but did as she was told with her good arm. Joaquín dug into their supplies for anything that could stop the bleeding. At least long enough for them to reach a doctor.

With gauze and bandages in hand he knelt down next to her. The first thing he did was snap the medal off and place it in her hand. At least that would keep her alive.

He nudged her hand away and replaced the sash with the gauze and pressed down on the wound from both sides. He had to slow the bleeding down before he did anything else.

The silence became unbearable. Especially when he couldn't move his eyes away from the amount of blood on his knuckles.

"Are you okay?" He wound up asking.

"I just got shot." María rolled her eyes.

"You think I didn't notice? Is the medal helping at least?"

"I'll live." She turned her head away. "I'm a little more worried about you."

"As far as I know I'm not bleeding from the shoulder."

"Joaquín I... I was scared."

"That's understandable with an injury like this-"

"No," she turned her head back. "I mean with what you just did. I've never seen you that angry before."

Joaquín glanced at his knuckles. In all honesty he hadn't seen it either. His mind was still trying to piece together exactly what he did.

But looking at her injury there was no doubt as to why he did it.

"I don't think I've had a reason to get that angry before."

"You couldn't even hear me at first."

He could feel the faint trembling under his palms. "I'm sorry. I promise I'll try to keep that under control if you promise to be more careful." He gave her a soft smile but kept his stare firm.

"You're right, I screwed up."

"Let's just focus on getting you fixed up."

"What about all this stuff?"

"I'll come back here with some of the townspeople."

"But the bandits might take it back by then."

"María, none of this stuff is worth risking yourself over. If they take it back we'll just hunt them down again."

"So I got shot for nothing?" Her frown was exaggerated.

He smiled back but it began to fade as he met her stare. Relief spread over him and without thinking he pressed his forehead against hers.

"I'm glad you're okay." He pressed his lips together.

"Hah, I can't leave you on your own. You're hopeless without me." Her hand covered his.

Joaquín didn't respond to that.

He didn't want her to know how true that statement was.


	4. 04: Two's a Party

Adventure Tales pt. 4: Two's a Party

Joaquín almost couldn't believe how quickly the rest of the year had gone by. With them darting from town to town sometimes he forgot to even keep track of the days. The pair spent the Day of the Dead in another town. At first Joaquín regretted not being in San Angel to see his father but María made certain to keep him distracted. It started with food and ended with her dragging him out to dance.

"You never told me you could dance." She made a face when he got the upper hand.

"You never asked."

By the end of the month they headed back up north to deliver something. It wasn't something they had to do, but María admitted she needed a break from the strange terrain. Some familiar desert sand would feel good.

Then they could head back down and clean out the rest of the bandits hiding there.

They stopped in any town they came across, if only for one night. Plenty of them were familiar and thankfully no bandits had shown up since they came through. The only reason they ended up lingering was because the children didn't want them to leave. Joaquín just couldn't say no to a row of desperate faces.

Because of those delays when Joaquín's birthday arrived the duo spent most of the day riding to the next town. It was a slower ride so Plata didn't wear out in the hot sun. And, oddly enough, most of the time it was quiet.

María was always on top of birthdays. When they were younger and Joaquín even tried to dodge the celebration she'd find him and drag him out. She and Manolo wouldn't leave his side all day.

It made him nervous that she hadn't said anything. Perhaps she forgot? With all the traveling they were doing it wouldn't be that strange. That or she got the dates mixed up.

"We are stopping for the night, aren't we?" She said the moment the sun was setting.

"At some point, we should cover more ground first."

"Let's stop." She nudged him.

"What for?"

"Either stop and make camp or I'm jumping off the horse."

Plata snorted and nodded her head.

"Go ahead, you'll certainly make her happy."

María huffed and leapt down onto the sand. Joaquín pulled on the reigns but it took Plata a moment to actually stop. She shook her head and hoofed the ground.

"Honestly María," he slid off the saddle. "I thought you wanted to get there as soon as possible."

"I do, but we're obviously not getting there today and we have to celebrate."

"Huh?"

"Your birthday, dummy." She poked his chest.

Heat rose up his cheeks. "C-come on María you don't-"

"You thought I forgot, didn't you?"

"No," He turned his head. "I just-"

"Liar."

Joaquín let off a long sigh. "Fine, what did you have planned?"

"Well," She dug through one of the bags on Plata's back. "After we set up camp and get some dinner cooking I'll open this up."

Joaquín only stared at the clear bottle for a moment before he glared. "Where did you get that?"

"A lady from the last town gave it to me as a present."

"Did she know how old you are?"

"She said I should live a little."

"You're not drinking that." Joaquín held out his hand.

"Why not?"

"You don't even need to ask that, now hand it over."

"Who said I'm drinking it anyways it's for your birthday." She clutched the bottle closed to her chest and shifted on her feet.

"You've been begging me for alcohol since we got out here and it's still not happening." He lunged for the bottle but she jumped back.

"Just a little?"

"No."

"Stop being boring."

"I promised I'd take care of you when I took you out here."

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"I don't know," he tried to snatch it again. "That's what worries me. Now hand it over."

"Hmph, why don't you take it from me." She stuck out her tongue before she ran ahead into the desert.

Joaquín sighed but smiled as he took off after her. Plata took a moment to trot behind him.

Unfortunately even with her shorter legs she was somehow faster than him. A few time he almost snagged her hair but she managed to jump ahead. Soon she side stepped into a thick mess of bushes. Her light steps dodged the flora easy but Joaquín tripped twice. The third time he lost his footing and landed face first in the brush.

"Are you okay?" She tried to say between her laughter.

Thankfully the medal was pinned to his chest so he didn't feel a thing. Still, getting up wasn't comfortable, and it took Plata tugging on the collar of his uniform to get him to his feet.

"You really need to work on your footing." She had the smuggest look on her face as she stepped over to him.

"Yeah, well, so do you." Not giving her the chance to react he snatched the bottle of tequila in one hand and shoved her back with the other.

María screamed when she landed in the bushes and she flailed around for a moment before managing to sit up.

"You jerk," she shouted and pulled a twig from her hair. Many of the branches stuck out of her locks.

Joaquín knew he shouldn't laugh when he saw some scratches on her face but couldn't help himself.

"You better help me get these out." She kept a hand in her hair as she struggled to her feet.

He just kept laughing and it only got worse when she smacked his arm. "Okay, okay, I will. But can we set up camp first?"

The trio wandered out of the brush and searched for an open area. The sky was much darker now, making things difficult, but after a while they located one big enough. María unloaded supplies while Joaquín got enough kindling for a small fire. In the winter months the desert got too cold at night.

"Put that down." Joaquín said the moment he heard the bottle clink behind him.

"Ugh, I thought you were busy."

Joaquín lightly blew on the fire. "I've told you before, never drop your guard."

Her weight dropped onto his back as she rested her chin on his head. her arms draped over his shoulders and pointed to the flame. "Is it done yet? I'm hungry."

"With how childish you act you wonder why I won't let you drink."

"You know you're one to talk." Her arms wrapped around his neck. "I think you just try too hard to act older than you are."

He didn't respond to that, it was probably true. Having to be a soldier and play the hero didn't leave much room for immaturity.

For a while the only sound was the fire chipping away at the brambles. María's arms tightened as she leaned her cheek against the back of his neck. Warmth spread from that spot to his ears and he knew he couldn't blame the fire.

"It's not the same without Manolo playing something huh?" She whispered.

"Maybe we should head home for a bit."

"We're not done out here."

"María-"

"If we go back there now my father might never let me leave again. I don't want to be trapped there." She pulled her head back. "We're not going home until he can't control me anymore."

Joaquín laughed and stood, forcing María to let go.

"He already can't control you." He ruffled her hair and pulled out a twig. "Otherwise you wouldn't be out here."

"Please, if I go home now he'll probably do something bad to make sure I don't go anywhere. You know he would." Her gaze fell to the sand below.

"Fine, we won't go home just yet. Now sit down so I can get rid of these twigs."

"You better start dinner first."

"Hm, and here I thought you were going to make dinner for the birthday boy." He stuck out his chest.

"Do you really want me cooking with an open flame?"

"Probably not," he admitted.

"Oh, we should see if we can hunt something." Her eyes widened and reflected the spark in the fire. "You still have to teach me how to shoot."

"No." He nudged her toward the sleeping bags.

"Why not?"

"You just argued to keep you away from an open flame and you want me to hand you a pistol? Besides I'm not wasting ammo out here."

"When did you become such a stickler?"

Joaquín snorted as he pulled out another twig and tapped her on the nose with it. "Forgive me but... I don't think I'm the _stickler_ here."

María pulled her lip back in disgust before she smacked him.

When dinner was finally in place the pair sat on the sleeping bags. Joaquín set to work pulling out all the tiny bits of wood tangled in her hair. Plenty of the were buried in the layers of curls and waves, but he couldn't say he minded.

"Do you think you'll ever cut it?" The hair slid through his fingers as he continued to search.

"I don't know. I thought about it but I like it too. Besides when I start earning my own medals I was thinking of pinning them in my hair. Maybe a few in my ears too."

"María, medals are not accessories. They're badges of-"

"They're shiny and I want them in my hair." She tilted her head back. "Fight me."

"Maybe in the morning," he pushed her head back and found another twig.

Finally all the debris came free and Joaquín returned to the fire. María hummed an aimless tune for a while, but it melted into one he recognized. It was a song Manolo always sang when he wondered about the future. Full of poetry about long dirt roads and rocky hills but in the end the focus drifted to a pair of travel companions.

As she continued to hum he heard her stand up.

"You better not be getting that tequila."

"I'm not." The song cut off.

Joaquín didn't believe that until he turned around and saw her digging through her bag. It took her a moment to pull out a square parcel tied up with a string.

"What's that?"

"What does it look like?" She sauntered back over and plopped down next to him. She practically shoved the package into his hands before hiding her mouth behind her knees. Her eyes were wide, fixed on him and glowing in the firelight.

He knew what it looked like, but he was still rather stunned to see it. Over the years the only one who had really gotten him any physical gifts had been Posada, and that had just been for training really. María and Manolo did their best, of course, but kids could only buy so much on their own.

As for his mother, he wasn't sure she even remembered the date.

"Open it." She nudged him with her shoulder.

Joaquín glanced at her before he tugged on the string, undoing it as slowly as possible.

She only watched in silence for a moment. "Hurry up."

He went even slower and laughed when she growled.

"All right, all right," he jerked on the string and tore through the paper. He felt leather under his fingers before he saw it. It was black with a golden eagle imprinted on the cover along with his initials.

His eyebrows shot up as he removed the paper and opened it. All the pages were blank.

"I noticed your other one was close to full. Thought you could use a new one."

"H-how did you get this?" His throat was suddenly dry as he felt the texture of the paper.

"A little while back. One of the villagers we helped did leather work so I asked him about it. We had to make a few connections to get the whole thing done but he was happy to help."

Joaquín didn't actually know what to say. His mouth just hung open as he flipped through the blank pages. And she was right, his old journal, which he had found among his father's possessions, was almost out of space.

"So? Do you like it?" She scooted closer to him.

As he tried to think of the proper response he flipped to the front cover to find one page wasn't blank. A message had been scrawled on it in some absurd attempt at fancy handwriting.

"Hey wait," María tried to close the journal. "You're not supposed to read that until later."

He shoved her hands away and opened it back up. "Dear Joaquín-"

"No!"

Joaquín just pushed his hand against her face and kept her arms at bay. "Happy birthday! I really wanted to give you something special since it's just us out here. You seem to like writing so I hope you fill this journal up twice as fast as the first one, with all kinds of adventure tales. Thanks for bringing me with you this has..." His smile fell along with his voice. "This has been been the most amazing experience of my life so far. Somehow just wandering the desert with you really feels like... home."

María gave up her struggle as he scanned the messy "with love" and her signature.

Something tugged at Joaquín's chest as his hand fell away from María. The longer the stared at that last word in the message the foggier his vision became.

"Are you crying?"

María's words made him blink and he quickly wiped any tears from his eyes. "N-no, the smoke is just..." He shook his head. "It's wonderful, really. Thank you."

"You're welcome you big goofball."

Joaquín didn't expect her hand to touch his opposite cheek, or for her to pull him closer and plant a kiss on the other. It wasn't quick either, the contact lingered and Joaquín almost dropped the journal. His heart thudded against his chest and didn't slow down even when she moved away.

"I don't mean to rush you but," she shook him a few times. "I'm hungry."

The motion thankfully relieved some of the dizziness. "If that's the case why didn't you wait to give me this?"

"I couldn't wait anymore."

"Impatient." He smacked her on the forehead with the journal.

"Damn right."

"And a dirty mouth, what would your dad think." Joaquín stood up to put the journal away.

"Fuck him."

"María!" He gasped but couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"You heard me." She shouted louder. "He can't touch me out here."

The pair ate dinner in silence for a moment until María kept pulling stupid faces and making Joaquín choke on his food. It melted into a contest but María inevitably won. She pulled her hair over her lip like a mustache and started to impersonate her father and Joaquín couldn't take it anymore.

María curled up to sleep when they finally calmed down. She tried to get Joaquín to join her but he waved her off or now. He sat with Plata, admiring his gift again and rolling it around in his hands.

He got himself something to write with and wrote the date on the top page. His first entry, he had to make it count.

His gaze drifted up from the paper back to María. She was practically impossible to see at this point under the blanket with her hair all over the place. He thought about braiding it before he went to bed. He thought about the sound of her snores and as if on cue they quietly began.

Joaquín smiled and returned to the page.

_ I found it._ He wrote. _I finally found my home._

He stared at the word for a moment before his smile fell and a weight dropped into his stomach.

_ I found it, but it's not mine._ Manolo's face popped into his mind.

_And I'll have to give her back someday._

[~~~~~~~~~~]

"Fine, the barrels down the hill was smart but I still took out the most bandits." María smiled and showed off her new medal.

"Just enjoy that while you can. I'll be getting the next one."

"Only because of the narrow views of men."

Joaquín and María stood inside a stable while the soldier groomed his horse. The pair of them had shown up in the town down south after two months only to find the place swarming with bandits. A chaotic battle finally lead them to victory and the town even planned to celebrate. Joaquín agreed, but only after they settled in.

"But I guess it's a good thing we didn't stay in the desert." María changed the subject when he didn't respond. "I should have known most of the bandits were staying down here."

"The trees provide decent cover. And the hill this town is build on gives them terrain advantage."

"So much for that. When you used the barrels I... guess you could say their plans went _downhill_."

Joaquín stared at her before he threw the brush. "And you get angry at me for my puns."

She just giggled and picked it up. "Putting that aside how long will we be sticking around?"

"Well they want to throw us a party. I guess a few days wouldn't hurt. Besides, we don't want to be out in the middle of nowhere for your birthday now do we?"

Her eyes widened and she clutched the brush to her chest. "Oh, right, that's..."

Joaquín smiled and shook his head. "In fact, come here, there's something I want to show you." He tilted his head before he stepped over to their supplies.

María hesitated before she followed. He couldn't miss that excited spark in her eye as he pulled out his sleeping bag. He unrolled it before pulling out something long, wrapped up in a thick layer of cloth.

"Joaquín-"

"Take it." He said as he turned to face her. "And give me that back."

He traded the brush for the gift. She gripped it in her hands and her mouth fell open.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Why are you asking me?"

In a flash she unrolled the cloth to reveal a sword. It was smaller than the ones the military gave them. Gold skulls decorated the handle and at the base of the blade two words were carved into the side.

"No retreat," she read and swung the sword. "Please tell me you have the matching one."

"Not yet, but I plan on it." That wasn't a total lie at least, but he planned on giving that sword to Manolo.

"It's so much lighter." She laughed and spun around.

"It's a different metal. I figured the lighter the better so it could keep up with your speed."

"It's fantastic!" She shouted and pointed it at him. "But you know what this means right?"

"We can spar tomorrow." He nudged the blade away. "I'll be more than happy to help you get used to it, but for now we have a party to get to."

She lowered the sword but caught him off guard when she crashed onto his chest and hugged him. Her chin pressed against his bandoliers as she stared up at him.

"Thank you."

Before he could respond she was off again. She skipped once before leaving the stable all together. Joaquín called after her but there was no response. All he could do was hope she didn't try to fight someone else.

He finished grooming Plata before giving her some treats and putting her away. He adjusted a few of his medals before he headed back out onto the streets. While the area near the stable was clear he could hear the noisy crowds not far off. Going past a few houses he could see the crowd gathered in the town square. A few decorations were being brought out and all the kids seemed to be involved with a giant game of tag. He glanced around the grinning faces to find María off to the side. She was speaking to a mariachi group.

He headed her way and she noticed. Her face broke into a grin before she said something else to the band. They all nodded before they got their instruments.

The music rang through the square and everyone paused what they were doing. Plenty of the towns people broke into a dance without a second thought.

"Joaquín!" María shouted as she put her sword in her belt. "Catch!"

He squinted, not sure what she meant by that. Then suddenly she burst toward him as fast as she could.

It took until she jumped into the air for his brain to kick into gear. His arms shot out and grabbed her waist. He stumbled back from the force but kept his feet steady as she rested her hands on his shoulders and laughed.

"How about a dance?" She tilted her head.

Joaquín let out a breath he didn't notice he was holding and shook his head.

"Oh come on, it's a party. Don't tell me you hate dancing either I won't believe you."

"That's not what I was shaking my head at." He glared at her but smiled. "Sometimes you're just so... impulsive." He shouted the last word and spun her around as fast as he could.

María shrieked before laughing. The soldier spun her around a few more times but paused when she pressed her nose against his. The air from her laughter brushed against his cheek and his heart sprung up to his throat.

"Come on," María hopped out of his grip and took his hand. "Let's dance. Then you've got to meet some of these people. The band is hilarious."

Of course María loved the band. She loved music after all. Joaquín smiled at them before María jerked on his arm and pulled him into a proper dance.

The music went on even as the sun went down. Torches were lit all around the square, igniting it in a warm glow. Joaquín had sometimes considered writing poetry about how María looked in firelight. Something about the colors, the way they reflected off her hair, her skin, and her eyes, suited her so well.

Her eyes, oddly fixed on his at the moment, were half lidded with a relaxed smile, as if she was in a daydream. Something about that expression seemed familiar.

The pair of them jerked out of their trance when Joaquín's back bumped into someone. He spun around to see an older man.

"I'm so sorry." Joaquín stumbled over the words.

"It's all right," The man laughed. "As if anyone is paying much attention out here. I can't blame you for being festive." Then he nodded and held out his hand. "But can I ask for a dance with our lovely heroína?"

She glanced at Joaquín before smiling. "Certainly, why not?"

Joaquín let the pair of them dance out into the square but he didn't take his eyes off them. The old man seemed harmless enough, but all guys did at first. Still, he retreated back to one of the buildings for the time being. Better he stayed out of sight from the inevitable group of girls that were searching for him.

And yet one seemed to find him anyways.

"They haven't even brought out the food yet."

Joaquín jumped at the rough but feminine tone. He turned to see a middle aged woman standing next to him. Her black hair was done in thick curls past her shoulders and round chin. He took note of her thick makeup over her bright brown eyes.

"When they do I'll have to keep her away from it." He couldn't help but feel uneasy with her stare. "María will run off with all the sweets."

"She's quite the stunning young lady." The woman pressed her fingers together and nudged him. "I should congratulate you."

"What?" Joaquín stepped away. "What do you- oh. Oh no, ma'am. We don't have that sort of relationship."

"Are you certain?"

"Of course. I mean we're best friends but... well she still loves someone back in our hometown."

"Really? What a shame. You make quite the pair."

"Well, thank you." _I guess?_ Joaquín wasn't sure how to respond to a comment like that. It wasn't the first time people mistook them for a couple but usually María was around to deny it for him. Besides, the more he glanced at her eyes the more he felt there was something familiar about her.

"Joaquín," María shouted as she ran over. "Don't hide over here. There's a bunch of girls who want to dance with you." She took his arm but paused when she noticed the woman. "Unless this one already asked." She snickered.

"Oh no, take him." The woman smiled. "I wouldn't want to deny all you young ladies a good time."

Joaquín swore he was sweating under their gazes.

But he didn't have long to think on it. María dragged him back out into the square shouting the whole way.

"Girls, I found him."

The uproar of shrieks made him shiver, but he just wound up laughing as the girls clung to his arms.

"All right," he pulled up his confident smile and puffed out his chest. "Which of you ladies is first?"


End file.
